The present invention is directed towards an explosives detection system for an aircraft, and more particularly to an explosives detection system which continuously tests the internal passenger compartment of an aircraft for the presence of gases which are emitted from explosives such as dynamite, TNT, plastic explosives, and the like.
An exceedingly dangerous and growing problem in air travel is terrorist activity. All too often, such terrorists smuggle bombs on board commercial airliners and threaten to explode them unless the terrorists' demands are met. This criminal activity endangers the lives of the passengers on board the aircraft and sometimes results in loss of life. A number of attempts have been made to prevent this criminal activity and its abhorrent effects. Dogs have been specially trained to identify and sniff for the presence of explosives and, in a number of cases, have been successful in preventing terrorists with explosives from boarding a plane. Specially-designed explosives detectors which are commercially available can detect the presence of explosives. These explosives detectors are akin to metal detectors, which are now almost universally used in airports to prevent terrorists from smuggling guns on board aircraft. One disadvantage inherent in these commercially available explosives detectors is that, unlike metal detectors, they are not capable of detecting the presence of explosives substantially instantaneously. Instead, such explosive detectors may require at least five to ten seconds to detect the presence of explosives, and may take up to a minute or longer if the explosives are hermetically sealed. As a result, the use of such explosives detectors would create greater delays prior to aircraft boarding than are now caused by the use of metal detectors.
Another disadvantage inherent in the use of specially-trained dogs and explosives detectors is that security may vary widely from airport to airport, especially in European countries and the Middle East. Thus, even if a flight originates in an airport which utilizes guard dogs and/or explosives detectors, the passengers are put at risk if the flight boards additional passengers at an airport with lax security measures.